INDIANAPOLIS – Is Kamar Baldwin a real person or a fake name in a boxscore?

Because it would be hard to overlook a human who had statistics credited to the Butler basketball player last season: 548 points, 170 rebounds, 111 assists, 49 3-pointers. He averaged 15.7 points in 35 games.

Five other players from power conferences had such numbers. Three were chosen in the NBA draft, and the two others withdrew at the last minute.

Was it not Kamar Baldwin who averaged 20.5 points in four postseason games, scoring 32 against Seton Hall and 24 in a first-round NCAA tournament win over Arkansas? Maybe it was a Pixar or Marvel creation. You know, not real.

Because if he were genuine, he would not be omitted from every preseason All-America team. If he were the real thing, he would not be missing from Athlon magazine’s list of college basketball’s top 100 players.

Oh, a few folks are unconvinced this combo guard is fictitious. CBS Sports ranked someone named Kamar Baldwin 30th among its top 100. Sports Illustrated projected that name as Big East player of the year.

People can start seeing for themselves when Butler plays its first exhibition Sunday against Tiffin at Hinkle Fieldhouse. They might not recognize someone who has less hair and more weight than he did last March, but we’re pretty sure the one wearing No. 3 is still Kamar Baldwin.

A sure sign is that his interviews remain punctuated with “yes, sir” and “no, sir.” There are no complaints about real or perceived snubs in the preseason.

“I don’t know if he cares as long as Butler’s name is somewhere at the end,” coach LaVall Jordan said. “That’s his mission, that’s his goal. He’ll tell you any time, ‘I just want to win, coach.’

“You have to encourage him sometimes. ‘The best way for us to win, Kamar, is for you to score points. You have to be willing to step up and take that.’ He’s such a team guy. That’s what you love about him. He cares about one thing, and that’s winning.”

FILE – LaVall Jordan will need Kamar Baldwin (right) to develop into a leader with Kelan Martin and Tyler Wideman graduated.(Photo: Robert Scheer/IndyStar)

Baldwin had a mini-slump late last season, perhaps a sign of wearing down. In a four-game span heading into the Big East tournament, he averaged 8.8 points and shot 29 percent (12-of-41).

He is sure to be targeted by defenses in a way that Kelan Martin, the Big East scoring champion, was last season. However, the Bulldogs will not be without other scorers, especially if 3-point shooters Sean McDermott and Jorgensen are on the floor with him.

There could be games in which Baldwin leads the Bulldogs in points, assists and rebounds. Jordan said Baldwin has some of the same skills as longtime European pro Mike Green, who led Butler in all those categories in 2008, and New York Knicks guard Trey Burke, the 2013 national player of the year at Michigan.

Jordan said Baldwin made “a huge jump last year” and continues to be a student of basketball.